In addition, two of the horses had three-foot-long hooves. Their hooves had curled in on themselves so that the horses could barely walk. Vets had to sedate the animals in order to cut off the hooves.

Days End Farm Horse Rescue charity, where the surviving horses are being taken care of, has cared for more than 3,000 horses in 26 years. They said that this is the worst case of hoof neglect they've seen in all that time.

It is believed that the three horses were locked up in the stable for at least 15 years. They did not have necessary farrier or medical care.